Will C.I.A. Director Nominee John Brennan Still Love Hunting Terrorists if It’s All So Above Board Now?

Mazel tov to counterterrorism ace John Brennan, whom President Obama will nominate later today as the new C.I.A. chief. As always, we were most delighted to discover how this news affects us personally: Brennan’s post as head of the Agency—like with an “A”—is an organic mnemonic that refers to the correct spelling of his last name, specifically the correct penultimate letter thereof.

How does this news affect others? John Brennan, for example? The 57-year-old presidential advisor is finally getting a job whose interview was, like, a four-year-long process. The Washington Postreports that Brennan . . .

was among those considered for the top C.I.A. job when Obama took office in 2009. But he again came under political fire from liberals who accused him of complicity in the agency’s use of brutal interrogation measures under Bush. Spooked by the criticism—which Brennan denounced as unfair and inaccurate—Obama quickly backtracked. After Brennan withdrew his name from consideration for the CIA post, Obama hired him as White House counterterrorism director, a position that required no Senate confirmation and had no well-defined duties. At the outset, colleagues said they wondered what his job would be. But to a young administration new to the secret details of national security threats and responsibilities, Brennan was a godsend.

Well, John Brennan. There is a nomination process for the C.I.A. job, so do not think you can get away with supplying half-answers to basic questions—specifically, the question of your middle name. In particular, what is it? Why is it fairly difficult to track down? Why does Wikipedia list it only as “O.”? Is it a Harry S. Truman thing, wherein your middle name is just the “O”? Or is your middle name something unusual, like “Obama”? Because, you know, the country has really come to terms with all of that.

Next up: Charles Timothy Hagel is Obama’s defense secretary nominee and that deserves its own post. Stay tuned!